10 Tips for Developing a Dental Office Emergency Plan

10Tips for Developing a Dental Office EmergencyPlan

By Shey Loman, FDA Communication and Media Coordinator

Unfortunately, natural disasters and manmade threats, including active shooters, are occurring more frequently throughout the nation. Most people don’t want to entertain the thought of the unthinkable happening; however, threats and responses should be discussed and practiced with dental teams just as they are at schools, places of worship and shopping malls. A frustrated employee or patient could make your office and staff victims of preventable violence or other attacks. Office staff should be informed and prepared with a plan that can be performed faultlessly in the unfortunate event that a nightmare scenario becomes reality.

Following are 10 tips to best protect your staff and your practice during a threat or disaster:

Tips for General Threats 1.

Set an emergency action plan (EAP) for your dental office to employ in the case of a threat. Make sure that all staff members are aware of—and fully trained for—the procedures of your office plan. It may be a bit uncomfortable to have these discussions with staff, but not having a plan is no longer a responsible option.

Always be aware of your office’s exit locations. Evacuation is the best option in most threat scenarios. Once safe, call 911, and provide as much information as possible

Ultimately, being prepared is the first step to protecting your staff and your practice from threats or disaster.

including the location, a physical description of the threatening person or people, any weapons involved, the number of potential threats and the number of potential victims at the scene.

Help yourself first. Whether or not others decide to follow your office’s emergency plan, follow it yourself. Help others, if possible, but secure your safety first.

If evacuation is not an option, find a hiding place and put obstacles between yourself and the threat, such as a locked door. Barricade doors with upturned furniture or whatever you can find to add to the obstacles between you and the threat. Try to have an escape route from your hiding place in case it’s needed and remain as quiet as possible.

If you are confronted by the threat and feel as though your life is in danger, attempt to disrupt or incapacitate the attacker. Be aggressive, throw any items within reach and use any type of improvised deflector that you can. Commit to your actions and don’t stop until the threat has been immobilized.

Tips for if the Threat is a Patient 1.

Try to move the patient away from public space. Ask the patient to move into a consult room or private office.

When the patient is speaking to you, do not speak until he or she is finished. Be sure to allow the person the time and space needed to feel heard, do not interrupt, and only speak when you’re absolutely sure the patient is finished or asks a question for you to answer.

When it is your time to speak, focus on empathy. Connect with the patient and try to understand the person’s frustration in order to see the issue from that perspective. Do not shut the person down or try to rationalize with them; simply make him or her feel heard.

Make notes about all of the information the person tells you. Not only will this give you a chance to document the scenario, but it also assures the patient that you’re taking his or her concerns seriously. Show the patient the notes you took and ask if anything should be added. Explain to the patient that you will investigate the problem and respond as soon as you’re able. Review all of the facts of the situation from an objective point of view and then follow up with the patient in a timely fashion.

If all of the above tips do not help to diffuse the angry patient and the person threatens or becomes violent, contact local law enforcement immediately and follow through with your emergency plan.

Threat situations can be chaotic and unpredictable, which is why it’s important to have a plan in place. In some instances, law enforcement will need to be immediately dispatched so they’re able to quickly get control of the situation.

Ensure all building exits are marked and have an evacuation plan in place with a central meeting location to account for all staff members. Implement an emergency notification system so all staff members are on the same page during a disaster and use code words during emergencies to prevent patients from panicking. Ultimately, being prepared is the first step to protecting your staff and your practice from threats and disasters. If the unthinkable happens, you and your team will be ready.

An EAP will help your staff respond efficiently to unplanned events ranging from violent threats to fires and other natural disasters. Learn more about creating an EAP for your practice through the U.S. Department of Labor at dol.gov or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration at osha.gov. Ready.gov has information about how plans for disasters and emergencies ranging from severe weather to chemical emergencies and more. Also, find the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s guide to active shooter planning and response for a health care setting at bit. ly/2QSlP7R.

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References

Scott Fredrick, D.D.S., Planning Journal of the Colorado Dental Association, Fall 2019.

U.S. Department of Labor at dol.gov

Occupational Health and Safety Administration at osha.gov

Ready.gov 12.